DaftNES 2022

I am really hung over and short pressed for time. Really sorry!

1LP:I want to recall my warriors, then have the leader of the warriors be disgusted by the corruption (and insult of being recalled) thus they rebel, loot the capital before leaving and heading to the Smoke Island. Coastal Villages are more connected to the Akoltec split off from Toltec instead aligning with the warriors who settle on the island. The Greatest City in the world is waning.

AP: 6/10

1. Begin building a Golden Palace in Tecnoclaen (do be destroyed by maurauding warriors)
2: Terrace the hillsides of Smoke Island so that it might provide more food.
3: Improve our boats to have greater transport capabilities
4: Improve the dock/harbours. Specialised facilities to improve trade and harvesting of the sea.
5: Focus on trade. Diplomatically bring together settlements on the coast of the mainline are strongly linked to the Marble Temple
6: Begin construction of a grand temple on Smoke Island with White Marble

I wish to take over playing as the Akoltec after this update.
 
So two things, first your updates mention ‘trading east’, eg Oxen already on the far eastern side of map moving silver/tin/bronze East, is there some off map cultures out there or am I missing someone.

Also if one was to join, how much migration is practical in the early turns and how much AP does a minor tribe start with? Just looking at the cultures and the map, I have an idea. The Elqua are hunters on the eastern end of the harsh tundra, is get boats, follow the pinnipeds (Walruses?) and fish to the small on the northeastern end of that map, and from there set up shop on that cool vaguely Japan-looking island just to south a viable game plan?
 
The 'traded east' is referring to the bronze being developed in the west (specifically by the Trasque) and then traded eastward to the Oxlen, not the Oxlen trading with a nonexistent eastern neighbor of their's.
 
@Kyzarc Fotjage
Yeah I real I read that wrong, I thought Oxlen was making the bronze for some reason

@Aiken_Drumn
Thanks. I’ve lurked around for forever but never really engaged. Was stoked to check in and find there was stuff going.
 
So two things, first your updates mention ‘trading east’, eg Oxen already on the far eastern side of map moving silver/tin/bronze East, is there some off map cultures out there or am I missing someone.

Also if one was to join, how much migration is practical in the early turns and how much AP does a minor tribe start with? Just looking at the cultures and the map, I have an idea. The Elqua are hunters on the eastern end of the harsh tundra, is get boats, follow the pinnipeds (Walruses?) and fish to the small on the northeastern end of that map, and from there set up shop on that cool vaguely Japan-looking island just to south a viable game plan?

Hi Barcid, it's great to see someone new on these forums! You'd be very welcome to join.

The idea for the Elqua sounds reasonable, although I think it would need to be in two stages / turns - one to get used to seafaring in the first place, and one to make the journey to the pseduo-Japan in the following turn.

However - I'm working on the update at the moment, I think it's ikely that the island will be settled this turn by Oxlen and Dhulen immigrants (which are ethnically of the same group as the Elqua) which mix to form a new culture.

If you'd like to play as the new settler culture, feel free to suggest a name for them, and I will draw up some proper stats so you can see how much AP you have to spend at the start of next turn?

:salute:
 
Hi Barcid, it's great to see someone new on these forums! You'd be very welcome to join.

The idea for the Elqua sounds reasonable, although I think it would need to be in two stages / turns - one to get used to seafaring in the first place, and one to make the journey to the pseduo-Japan in the following turn.

However - I'm working on the update at the moment, I think it's ikely that the island will be settled this turn by Oxlen and Dhulen immigrants (which are ethnically of the same group as the Elqua) which mix to form a new culture.

If you'd like to play as the new settler culture, feel free to suggest a name for them, and I will draw up some proper stats so you can see how much AP you have to spend at the start of next turn?

:salute:
That sounds great. I’ve got no ideas for naming off the top of my head so just go ahead and use whatever you were going to call them anyway.
 
*pokes with stick*
No need to poke with stick, I've been giving a running situation commentary on Discord!

@barcid I assure you this project is still alive. I've having a very busy time at the moment and I've also been unwell. If you want to join our discord server I can PM you an invite (I'm not sure if there's still a link on the forum somewhere).
 
:mischief: I know dude, just felt the thread could do with a bump. I hope you're feeling a bit better.
 
Turn 6 - Continental Bronze Age - Polnar Conquests - Western Hill Forts

[Music listened to while updating]

Previous update

This era saw a great expansion of Oxlen culture and language across the eastern continent, and the civilisations of the bronze age reached a new height of sophistication. The direct words of kings, diplomats and merchants now enter the history books. The west was not yet literate, but was home to bold seafarers, and mighty chieftains, ruling their domains from great bronze-age hill forts. Movements of people led to the further spread of domesticated animals, in particular the dog and the humble chicken.

Eastern Conquests

The situation in the east was transformed largely by the actions of one legendary warrior-king, known to the Oxlen as Poloxannalder, who led his armies from sea to sea, becoming the first great conqueror whose words and deeds were recorded by contemporary sources.

The groundwork for this success had been laid in the previous era with the re-unification of Oxlen towns and proto-cities under the warrior elite known as Polnar, under whose rule there had been an expansion of agriculture, literacy and exploitation of tin mines on the northern frontier - critical for the arrival of the bronze age on the continent. There were also stories of Polnar forces marching west helping to repel the Eaorndyr invasions of previous centuries, setting a precedent for long-distance campaigns beyond their homeland.

At the beginning of Poloxannalder’s reign, there seems to have been a sudden spike in bronze-making, with large amounts of copper being imported from the Trasque mountains to the west. It’s clear Poloxannalder now had the resources to assemble a vast army, the likes of which had not been seen before in human history - armed with shields of hide and wood, and spears tipped with hardened bronze points. With great boldness and boundless ambition, he would use this army to carve out a vast domain for himself.

First in the firing line were the Sil-Eshal lands, which capitulated without much of a fight - some of their leaders simply integrated into the new regime, and continued to act as traders and caraveers for the Polnar army. Nearby Dhulen settlements also seem to have submitted without a fight. In the west, the Nappar Tar are said to have been defeated after one swift campaign, losing a battle on the banks of the Chappa river; some of their surviving war-bowmen would later be recruited to serve in the Polnar ranks. The Marad Zeih were then defeated and driven back to their island home, and Polnar soldiers stood at the mouth of the Chappa river and shore of the great inland sea. From here, scouting expeditions were sent further west still, and there are some accounts of fighting with Delqine and Alicorn tribes far to the north-west, backed up by finds of Oxlen artefacts from this time across the shores of the inland sea. Meanwhile, the Omriti offered tribute in exchange for peace in the south.

At this point, Poloxannalder was dominating a vast stretch of territory stretching more than halfway across the continent. On stone inscriptions found all across this domain - where Oxlen script takes pride of place before other translations - the great conqueror justified his actions and styled himself as liberator, protector and bringer of justice. However, this land could not truly be called an empire, as such a concept did not quite exist at this point in history; historians have called this humanity’s first attempt at empire-building, but the required tools of government and bureaucracy were only just beginning to appear. It could, perhaps, be more accurately be called a giant protection racket, albeit one that spanned much of the eastern continent. The geographic heart of this domain was in the arid Sil-Eshal valleys, which had already been a vibrant trading hub. Native ingenuity in creating artificial wells and reservoirs, combined with grain imports from the Chappa valley, now allowed towns and cities to arise here that would soon rival those of the Oxlen homelands.

Of course, such rapid gains could have rapid reversals. Things seem to have started going wrong for Poloxannalder during his expeditions into the southern forests and jungles of the Axti and Talati. Though Poloxannalder’s scribes did not go into detail of his misfortunes during his lifetime, the stories were recorded in later years - those of whole divisions of troops getting lost forever among the forest; of starvation, thirst, and rampant tropical disease; and of fierce hit-and-run tactics by both the Axti and Talati tribes. The Talati, in particular, earned a fearsome reputation, as it seems they used terror tactics to make up for their lack of numbers; they are said to have used poison darts that delivered an agonising death on their victims, and are said to have brutally tortured their prisoners.

Poloxannalder’s stone-carvers but a positive spin on events, showing expeditions returning with many prisoners, and a whole menagerie of captive animals, including the gigantic ‘Ganshu’ (a Sil-Eshal term translating to ‘tree-leg’) being brought back north to be tamed as beasts of burden. But it seems that thousands of experienced troops were lost in the south, for no permanent gain of land or tributaries. In fact, the Talati were said to have captured so many Polnar weapons that their own warriors were still using them generations later, in some cases treated as sacred relics and heirlooms.

According to legend, the final demise of Poloxannalder came in battle with the Trasque in the northern mountains; perhaps, following a trade dispute, he was attempting to directly annex the copper-rich regions close to the border, or perhaps was simply driven by greed for gemstones and precious treasures accumulated by the Trasque; in any case, acquiring resources for raising fresh armies was the likely goal. But the Trasque were able to rally to defend their homeland, and set up a brutal ambush for the invaders, pelting them from above with missiles and arrows. It is said that the great conqueror was struck by an arrow to the eye while attempting to rally his troops and prevent a rout. Though most of the Polnar army managed to escape, their leader died a painful death that night; his passing was said to have been accompanied by a dark, blood-red lunar eclipse, a sign that ‘heaven itself mourned the great king’. He would have been less than forty years old.

After being partly tanned for preservation, the body was taken back to the great Oxlen capital of Sushmanalkal, and buried near the watchful gaze of the giant Sitting Buffalo monument. Competing stories soon emerged that Poloxannalder had been betrayed and ambushed by political rivals among the Polnar, or that he even survived to live as a captive among the Trasque, with a body-double being buried in his place. Needless to say, the tributary order he established in life did not last long. The following centuries are a tale of many wars between competing Polnar generals, punctuated by abortive native uprisings outside of native Oxlen lands. In the end, the descendents of the Polnar maintained control from the mouth of the Chappa river to the shores of the eastern ocean, but they were split into rival dynasties, all claiming some form of dubious descent from Poloxannalder himself.

Perhaps the strongest of these factions, at the heart of the former proto-empire, was a vibrant cosmopolitan centre of bronze-age civilization, attracting talented craftsmen and artisans from all across the eastern continent. Known as Pol-Eshai (a phrase with unclear etymology, but believed to be a mix of old Oxlen and Sil-Eshal languages), it remained fabulously wealthy due to being the centre of trade, with everything from gold and gemstones to bronze ingots, exotic animal skins and plant-based narcotics from the southern jungles being available for barter; road-building efforts begun in Poloxannalder’s life contributed to this.

It was not a harmonious merger of cultures however, as the ruling elites continued Poloxannalder’s policy of promoting Oxlen culture over others, suppressing the Sil-Eshal written language, and discouraging intermarriage between the ethnic-Oxlen elites and ‘outsiders’. Discontent simmered, but Oxlen became something of a bridge language across the eastern continent. A great exchange of domesticated plants and animals also took place via the Pol-Eshai lands, and standardised Pol-Eshai measures of copper and gold were the closest thing the continent had to a currency.

Poloxankal, the fabulous capital of the Pol-Eshai, was home to fine bronze-age buildings and palaces. Archaeologists have also found remains of walled gardens, criss-crossed by elaborate water-channels, and even what seem to be large enclosures for exotic animals. Yet later clay tablets from the library at Poloxankal paint a picture of growing instability; decadence, inaction and rampant drug use by the descendents of the old Polnar, corruption and nepotism by the other elites, dissatisfaction and restlessness of the military that was now stuck guarding frontier outposts to protect wealthy traders, and growing unrest among the Sil-Eshal natives and other minorities over the suppression of their culture. It was an explosive mix, but one that had not yet ignited as this era drew to a close.

Spoiler Oxlen culture - Terrish :

Moderate Trasuqe influence - Kyzarc

A primarily settled, agricultural people at the cutting edge of the bronze age.

LP: 1
AP: 7/13 (adequate food =, trade +, culture +, corruption -, maintenance --)
Treasure: 2
Military: 1 buffalo-chariot warrior (studded leather shield and helmet, bronze spear and axe)
Navy: assorted basic boats
Faith level: 1+ (adopted Sushunsil Fetishist beliefs)
Government level: 2+ (warrior monarchy)
Unity: high


Spoiler Pol-Eshai culture - NPC :

Influenced by: Oxlen (major), Trasque (minor), Apol-Tar (minor)

A composite culture formed from Polnar (Oxlen) conquests of the former Sil-Eshal. Oxlen culture is enforced where possible by the ruling elites.

LP: 1
AP: 5/12 (adequate food =, trade ++, tribute received +, corruption --, unrest --, maintenance --)
Treasure: 3
Military: 1 Polnar spearman (bronze spear, shield and leather armour), 1 bowman (Chappa war bow, leather armour)
Navy: assorted basic boats
Faith: 1+ (Sushunsil fetishist - Chappa Eih polytheist syncretism)
Government: 2- (holy monarchy)
Unity: low


Spoiler Apol Tar culture - NPC :

An ethnic-Oxlen dynasty ruling over Chappa peoples in the wake of the Polnar (Oxlen) conquests. Giving tribute to Pol-Eshai. The Oxlen elites live in luxury, while old Chappa Eih monuments remain in ruins and have not been restored.

LP: 1
AP: 5/10 (adequate food =, trade +, sending tribute -, unrest -, corruption-, maintenance -,)
Military: 1 Spearman (bronze spear, shield)
Navy: assorted basic boats
Faith: 1+ (Sushunsil fetishist - Chappa Eih polytheist syncretism)
Government: 1+ (holy monarchy)
Treasure: 1
Unity: low


Trasque and The North

Incursions by the Eaorndyr in the previous era had undoubtedly left an impression on the Trasque mindset. It is perhaps no surprise that a dedicated warrior caste began to emerge amongst the Trasque; unlike the Ponlar armies, Trasque warriors seem to have fought without shields and without mass formations, relying more on small groups of versatile soldiers armed with both spears and bows, able to turn difficult terrain to their advantage. Trasque metalworkers were however beginning to make armour from large pieces of bronze, and in particular were crafting the first full bronze helmets - several fine examples of which, inlaid with intricate gold and silver decoration, have been found by archaeologists from ancient tombs of this period.

And so, around the same time as the Polnar began their conquests, these warriors began their own westward expansion down from the mountains. There is no evidence of a decisive battle, however; it seems the Trasque simply occupied a power vacuum left by the departing Eaorndyr. Within a generation, a handful of overgrown stone circles was the only sign that remained of Eaorndyr presence in the region.

The Syresh tribes still remained - these peoples were a mixture of older Yorndyr and Chappa tribes. They submitted to the Trasque only after some small battles, and became tributaries rather than being fully conquered. It was likely the best victory the Trasque could achieve - the Syresh were highly mobile nomads, fully at home on the grasslands, and were now making use of small horses as pack animals to help them move from place to place. In any case, the Trasque would soon need to rally their troops to defend against Poloxannalder’s ill-fated invasion of their mountain homelands.

Nonetheless, Trasque artefacts from this time have been found on the coasts of the inland sea, and some suggest there was an abortive Trasque settlement of this coastline, far from the mountains; Trasque writings record an expedition to the ‘great western water’ and contacts with what were likely Akoltec traders. But control of the area seems to have been disputed throughout this era, and any settlement was soon abandoned, likely under pressure from some combination of Polnar expeditions coming from Chappa lands, and fierce Alicorn raiders based in the west.

Meanwhile, in the mountainous homeland of the Trasque, the city of Roque emerged as a rival to Poloxankal and Sushmanalkal in the south. While lacking the trade wealth of the former, and the population of the latter, it seems to have been a major centre of culture and fine craftsmanship - especially, of course, in metalworking. Visitors from across neighbouring lands who came to worship at the shrines of the majestic fetish-icons - religious artefacts made from the finest gemstones, gold, silver and ivory, and said to have the power to both cure diseases and bestow curses. Trasque fetishist beliefs had by this point been adopted by the Oxlen and further spread by the Sil-Eshal, and it seems likely that Roque hosted many pilgrims and travellers from the Polnar world to the south, bringing many varied offerings to the city.

The northern Trasque tribes, meanwhile, seem to have gradually assimilated into the Elqua culture, adopting a lifestyle that was better adapted for survival in the harsh north, and with it a new identity. However, Trasque influence remained strong amongst these peoples, and the Elqua are known to have offered tribute to both the Trasque and Oxlen. The Elqua also seemed to have held reverent superstition towards the ‘ice men’, a remnant branch of specialised non-human hominids that still dwelt in the far north in these times, though the humans were steadily out-competing them when it came to hunting, especially with the arrival of wolf-dogs and bronze tools from the south. There are also signs that humans or dogs were spreading a disease fatal to the ‘ice men’ at this time.

Perhaps influenced by the Elqua, there were also some Oxlen who resisted Sushmanalkal and the relentless northwards expansion of a farming, settled way of life. With the departure of the Polnar armies on western conquests, and the subsequent turmoil of succession wars, they were able to assert themselves - known as the Ochlen, they formed a splinter culture on the north-east periphery of Oxlen lands, and maintained a largely nomadic lifestyle. Although known as roaming bandits at times, it seems they were somewhat tolerated by the later Oxlen kings in exchange for trade in animal skins and ivory, while acting as a potential recruiting pool for mercenaries, and perhaps acted as a useful buffer against any potential trouble with the Elqua tribes further north.

Spoiler Trasque culture - Kyzarc :

Small Oxlen influence (Terrish)

LP: 1
AP: 7/9 (adequate food =, trade +, pilgrims +, tribute +, maintenance --)
Treasure: 3
Army: 2 warriors (spear and bow, one with partial bronze armour)
Navy: some basic river craft
Faith level: 2+ (Sushunsil fetishist beliefs)
Government level: 1+ (tribal confederacy)
Unity: very high


Spoiler Syresh tribe - NPC :


Nomadic tribe and tributary to the Trasque (Kyrzarc). A mix of Yorndyr, Trasque and Chappa-Eih stock.

They have fine stone tools, limited access to copper and bronze, and early domesticated horses.

The people busy themselves with hunting, gathering, trading and general survival.


Spoiler Elqua tribe - NPC :

Influenced by - Oxlen and Trasque culture

Minor mixed tribe of Oxlen and Trasque colonists, trading in some exotic animal skins and furs.

The people busy themselves with survival in harsh winter climates, and have been hardened by this.

There are sporadic contacts with the ‘ice giants’ or ‘snowmen’ in the north.


Spoiler Ochlen tribe - NPC :

Influenced by - Oxlen culture (Kyzarc)

Minor mixed tribe of Oxlen renegades and traditionalists, enjoying a more ancient way of life.

The people busy themselves with survival, trading, and occasional cattle thievery.


The South and East

Ripple effects from the Polnar conquests were felt across the neighbouring regions. Peoples here had limited access to bronze, mainly through trade with the Polnar and Oxlen.

The Omriti were able to gain loot and captives from the fall of the Nappa Tar, and it seems they resettled Chappa peoples along the river known to them as the Riti, along with their grain crops and water buffalo. The culture of the Omriti and their settlers seems to have replaced earlier Axti settlements along the river, but this may have been as much a cultural shift as a military takeover, based around the adoption of new farming practices. There is evidence that old Omriti stone heads that had been toppled by the Chappa in previous centuries were now re-erected and renewed, and in some cases, painstakingly dragged up to the top of hilltops, perhaps a gesture by the Omriti to re-assert their power in the region. But the large population of ethnic Chappa and other minorities likely led to continued unrest in Omriti lands.

The Polnar expeditions into the Axti forests were short-lived, but did put pressure on the Axti, and seem to have encouraged the population to concentrate in a few large towns, protected by lines of palisades, and surrounded by a steadily growing patchwork of farmland. Clearing the tropical forest was a back-breaking task, continuing over generations, and made only slightly easier by the introduction of bronze axes; any farmland that was not maintained would be consumed by the forest again within a few years. Conflict between Axti towns seems to have been relatively limited, and there are signs of further specialisation of labour and crafts; new styles of rock carving appeared at this time, and a basic form of written language appears in rock carvings, showing at least some influence from Oxlen script - though exactly how much the Axti pictographs borrow from Oxlen writing is still debated.

With the Talati having blocked Pol-Eshai expansion, the Dhulen of the eastern peninsular maintained their independence, but remained closely tied to the Oxlen world, and the influence of nearby Sushmanalkal is easily seen in Dhulen remains from this time. However, the Dhulen villages remained a haven for Sil-Eshal language and culture that had been suppressed by the Oxlen in the west, and there is evidence of a kind of hybrid writing system merging with older Sil-Eshal pictographs. The tradition of carving giant stone heads also spread to these lands via coastal contacts with the Axti.

It is at this time that Dhulen seafarers established a permanent settlement on the great island to their north-east. Though likely not the first humans to visit this island, they were the first to arrive in sufficient numbers to establish a permanent foothold. It is not known for certain what name they knew this island by, though some have suggested the name Chonoku, which would roughly translate to ‘island of the bathing monkeys’, a reference to the native macaques that make use of volcanic hot springs during the often-harsh winters. Dhulen colonists likely discovered silver and tin on the island at this time, but there would only have been a trickle of trade at this point.

In the south, the Usul seafaring peoples formed a tenuous bridge between the Opuah Eh and the Axti. Traces of Usul presence are found all around the fringes of the Opuah continent, including traces of Axti-inspired pictographs carved into sea-caves, but evidence suggests relatively limited impact on the inland Ohpauh up to this point. It seems the outsiders were treated largely with indifference. With large stretches of the coastline consisting of towering sea cliffs and dangerous rocks, there may also have been some natural barriers between the two cultures.

The eggs of giant flightless birds were one of the few, very rare and previous artefacts that the Usul are known to have traded between the Ohpauh Eh and the main northern continent; in one case, the egg of a giant terror-bird was found to have been buried under the base of a giant stone guardian head in one of the main Axti towns, although exactly how these artefacts made their way north at this time remains a story lost to history. The adoption of the sling as a tool at this time by the Ohpauh also hints at some influence from the Usul and Axti, who are known to have used slings as hunting tools for centuries or even thousands of years before this.

Meanwhile, the story of the Ohpauh Eh at this time continues to be one of ecological upheaval and a complex relationship with native animals. There seems to have been continued over-hunting of native crocodiles, which also brought human hunters into frequent encounters with native hippos; evidence suggests a kind of religious obsession with hunting both of these creatures, despite the high risk and frequent casualties - as attested by the skeletons of hunters from this time who were buried with broken, fractured and missing bones. In the eastern end of the island, the extirpation of these large animals, which helped maintain the depth and width of waterways, seems to have contributed to lakes being replaced by shallow seasonal wetlands - which provided new habitat for large flocks of geese and other migratory birds. But during the dry season, it now seems that water shortages were the limiting factor on human populations.

The island continent was now criss-crossed by trackways built by the Ohpauh, likely serving both a religious and practical purpose. There is no conclusive evidence of wheeled transportation, but the domesticated Pauh were gradually being bred for greater endurance and carrying capacity - perhaps even being suitable mounts for riders at this point. However, the giant terror-birds remained a serious threat to local humans, and their Puah livestock. The giant predators were perhaps adapting to attack human villages in small packs; the threat seems to have encouraged the continued use of fortified cave sites where possible. Other tribes maintained a migratory way of life, aided by the network of trackways, and largely dependent on the hunting of kangaroos.

Towards the end of this era, Ohpauh petroglyphs began to evolve into various forms of proto-writing. There seems to have been much variation across the island continent, and many ancient inscriptions from this time - carved into rock walls or stone tablets - still await translation. With the uniqueness of the various Ophauh writing systems, it is generally considered that they evolved independently of the north, though some argue for at least a small amount of influence from the Oxlen and Axti.

Spoiler Omriti tribe- NPC :

Influenced by - Axti culture - LordAragorn

A resurgent power, born from a mix of Axti and Chappa peoples. Ruling elites are related to the Axti, but have chosen careful diplomacy with the Polnar.

LP: 1
AP: 5/7 ( food surplus +, unrest--, maintenance -)
Treasure: 1
Military: 1 warrior (wooden shield, hide armour, bronze spear)
Navy: assorted basic boats
Faith level: 2+ (Axti mysticism - Chappa polytheist syncretism)
Government level: 1+ (basic monarchy)
Unity: low


Spoiler Axti culture - LordAragorn :


LP: 1
AP: 5/8 ( adequate food =, corruption -, maintenance --)
Treasure: 1
Faith level: 2+ (Axti mysticism)
Government level: 1+ (basic theocracy)
Unity: high


Spoiler Dhulen tribe - NPC :

Influenced by - Oxlen culture - Terrish (major), Axti culture - LordAragorn (minor)

Minor mixed tribe of Oxlen and Trasque colonists, trading with the motherland in the north. Some colonists have now settled the eastern island and are beginning to diverge from mainland Dhulen culture.

The people trade jade, tea and special herbs on the mainland, with small amounts of tin and silver being mined on the eastern island.

Writing is a mix of Oxlen and Sil-Eshal pictographs.


Spoiler Talati tribe - NPC :

Influenced by: Axti culture (LordAragorn)

A minor tribe that is a secondary offshoot of Axti. They are able to field one warrior unit.

The peoples are concerned with survival. They have some captured bronze tools and weapons. They are known for their ferocity and for using poison, traps, torture and intimidation to protect their lands. Xenophobic apart from a few friendly contacts with the Axti.


Spoiler Usul tribe - NPC :

Influenced by: Axti culture (LordAragorn)

A minor tribe that is an offshoot of Axti..

The peoples are concerned with survival among strange islands. They have fine stone tools and axes.


Spoiler Ohpauh Eh culture - JAM :


LP: 1
AP: 5/10 (water shortage -, trade +, disruption -, maintenance --)
Faith level: 1+ (Divine Guide worship)
Government level: 2+ (tribal confederation)
Unity: high


Western Upheavals

Far to the north west, human cultures evolved on a path that was only loosely connected to events in the east. Access to bronze was limited, initially coming only from whatever the Akoltec could trade with the east, before the western islanders began making bronze independently.

A major trigger of events was the western migration of the Eaorndyr - later Ondir - peoples. It is not clear why this group headed back west, but - having already looted many of the Chappa settlements in the previous era, and being dissuaded from probing further into the mysterious mountains of the Trasque - they may have sought to gain fresh plunder from the Deqline and Toltec lands, which would have been known to them from traveller’s stories.

This was a time before true written language had appeared in the west. Legends speak of a betrayal that opened the door to the invaders; Deqline warriors rose up and attempted to ambush the Toltec warriors to whom they had previously supplied and given tribute. At a great battle at a river crossing, this ambush failed, and a pitched battle ensued, killing many from both sides - though some of the Toltec warriors were able to escape, and they reaped a path of vengeance through Deqline lands as they retreated south. For a long time this was considered nothing more than a myth, however the recent discovery of a mass grave of mauled warriors - their skeletons showing clear signs of battle damage - dating from the approximate time and in the approximate location of the legend, seems to offer some proof that it was in fact a real event.

The Eaorndyr would have arrived in the aftermath of this battle, and would have faced relatively little resistance; moving as a mass migration, and led by a core of experienced warriors, it seems they were able to overwhelm the Deqline heartlands. Evidence suggests this was a devastating blow, with many villages destroyed, and thousands killed or taken captive by the Eaorndyr, integrating over time. The former vineyards at the core of Deqline territory seem to have been looted and destroyed, roamed for generations thereafter by wild animals. Old Deqline stone circles were re-dedicated with Eaorndyr carvings.

Some years later, the invaders crossed into Toltec lands, which were by now in the grip of a civil war, partly due to the loss of large parts of their warrior aristocracy in earlier battles with the Deqline. Various legends, recorded centuries later, describe a heroic battle around the Toltec capitol of Tecnoclaen, as the citizens rallied to defend their city; here the Eaorndyr invaders were bogged down among the artificial swamps and fish-pools that surrounded the city, and channelled along a few roadways where they were ultimately blocked and routed. No conclusive proof of this battle has ever been found, but evidence clearly shows disruption and a decline in population at Tecnoclaen at this time; a compound of high-status buildings, still unfinished at the peak of Toletc power, shows evidence of being abandoned for some years, before being rebuilt and re-occupied on a smaller scale.

Even if victorious at Tecnoclaen, Toltec power clearly fractured at this time; their warriors were decimated and no longer able to exert influence in the north, and their political structure seems to have completely collapsed into in-fighting. The following generations saw Akotlec culture - itself an offshoot of the Toltec - make inroads from their island home at the north of the inland sea, claiming the eastern coastal regions of the former Toltec domain.

The Akoltec were themselves a mixture of peoples, and it seems there was now a sizeable influx of Deqline peoples and other western immigrants - perhaps fleeing from the Eaorndyr invasion. Burials on the main island show a diverse mix of ethnicities, with genetic markers from as far away as the northwestern isles, and as far south as the Chappa river valley. The Akoltec rulers were mostly descended from the Toltec, and maintained many Toltec traditions, but their power seems to have been based more on trade across the inland sea - in particular, their access to eastern bronze - with little to no real military to speak of at this time. It seems the islanders were able to focus on many peaceful pursuits; Deqline immigrants brought with them grapes, wine and a festival tradition, which seems to have flourished on the island in conjunction with Toltec shamanism. Evidence also shows marble quarries and temple sites being expanded, and the first known dedicated port / dock structures built by humans, with a series of stone breakwaters and piers being built to make it easier to load and unload cargo from across the inland sea.

Indeed, Akoltec sites show many artefacts imported from the eastern continent, but not in the quantities that one might expect from all this investment; it seems, with the Chappa region under the control of Polnar elites, and relatively impoverished following generations of upheaval and conflict, there was less trade flowing west, as more was concentrated east. The Akoltec did however move various exotic goods around the inland sea, including narcotic plants and medicines, as well as a trickle of bronze items and precious artefacts from Trasque mountains. At some point, Alicorn cattle were also imported to the main island, perhaps brought over as young calves. Akoltec influence also seemed to be growing over the Marad Zeih, who were the last remnants of native Chappa rule, holding out on their island at the mouth of the Chappa river.

Meanwhile, following the fracturing of the Toltec, and the possible battle at Tecnoclaen, the Eaorndyr seem to have lost their aggressive edge. The remainder became a migratory cattle-herding people, seemingly content to roam the grasslands north of the Toltec mountains - the former Deqline heartlands - with herds of cattle that originated from a few gift or trophy animals acquired from the Alicorn. Over time the migrants became known as the Ondir, and their culture absorbed influences from both the Toltec and Deqline spheres, acting as something of a bridge between them. It is noted that Ondir religious carvings continue to make reference to ravens, although in increasingly distorted form, since the birds did not range this far south - although, it’s also likely that Ondir shamans had adopted the Toltec tradition of using hallucinogens to receive visions, which may well be reflected in their art.

Western Toltec peoples re-emerged as the Olteq tribes, for whom Tecnoclaen or Tenoch was now just one of several important sites. Focus shifted to the west, where trade in copper and bronze was conducted with the northern islands, and also to the south, where Olteq tribes began to probe into the southern jungles, previously considered somewhat taboo ground. Indeed, from this point, there are increasing stories of contact between humans and the remnant non-human hominids which still inhabited these southern jungles; similar to the ‘ice men’, of the far north, these beings were physically much stronger and tougher than humans, though possessed of a different kind of intelligence and mindset, no doubt being equally mysterious and terrifying to the humans who encountered them.

Spoiler Akoltec culture - Aiken_Drumn :


LP: 1
AP: 7/10 (adequate food =, trade +, corruption -, maintenance -)
Treasure: 2
Navy: numerous basic sailing galleys
Faith level: 1 (syncretic shamanism)
Government level: 2 (oligarchy)
Unity: moderate


Spoiler Marad Zeihi tribe- NPC :

Moderate Akoltec influence

An offshoot of Chappa culture, claiming to be the true inheritors of the Chappa lands. Evicted from the mainland by the Polnar conquerors, which became the Apol-Tar dynasty. Has suffered numerous misfortunes including military defeats, food shortages, and failed naval expeditions to explore the south seas, reducing them to the status of a minor player. Influenced by Akoltec culture to the north.


Spoiler Olteq culture - NPC :

Influenced by: Akoltec culture (minor), K’d Karu (minor)

Resurgent descendents of the former Toltec.

LP: 1
AP: 5/8 (adequate food =, trade +, corruption -, maintenance -)
Treasure: 1
Faith level: 1+ (Toltec Shamanism)
Government level: 1+ (tribal confederation)
Unity: moderate


Spoiler Ondir tribe - NPC :

Deqline and Akoltec influence

A former nomadic tribe with a long history of travels and intermixing across the north, west and centre of the continent. Now adopting a lifestyle as semi-nomadic cattle-herders. They are rumoured to have some priceless treasures still in their possession.


Western Hill Fort Culture

For all their feuding, and mutual raiding and pillaging, the Alicorn and Deqline maintained related cultures, bloodlines, and closely-related languages. The two cultures now also formed a common sphere where great hill-forts dominated - these were heavily-fortified settlements, with timber-frame dwellings sitting behind concentric rings of ditches and palisades that were painstakingly built and maintained by great effort over generations. These bronze-age hill forts would leave lasting imprints on the landscape for millenia to come.

The region had seen endless warfare between tribes, periodic nomadic invasions, and now saw well-equipped seaborne raiders from the western isles, who were able to strike without much warning. All of this doubtless contributed to the rise of the hill-forts. But they also likely served as a symbol of power and status for their tribes; wooden palisades and totem-poles have not survived the centuries, but we can imagine the main gateways to these forts being richly decorated with paintings and carvings. The Deqline in particular seem to have had a rich tradition of artistic wood carving, aided by the introduction of copper and later, bronze tools.

Deqline culture survived the loss of its ancient heartland to the Ondir, and retreated to alpine strongholds in the north, where wine groves continued to be cultivated amongst sheltered valleys, and festivals continued to be held, although at a smaller scale than before. With the continued threat of the Alicorn to the north, it seems the Deqline were never able to summon the strength to retake their old homeland from the Ondir. But the flow of Deqline refugees to the Akoltec lands likely now gave the Deqline some influence in affairs in the east, and greater access to trade goods.

The Alicorn, meanwhile, retook their old lands on the shore of the inland sea, and there may also have been battles with western scouts of the Polnar and Trasque - if so, it seems they were kept from advancing into the Alicorn forests. With their traditional hostility towards outsiders, it seems the Alicorn had little access to bronze and other metals, besides that which they could capture from fallen enemies. Nonetheless, alongside the building of the great hill-forts, there was an expansion of ritual stone circles and megaliths in Alicorn lands at this time; some sites in the north reached a new peak of complexity, with gigantic new monoliths being added to some existing ritual sites. Some consider this to be one of the last great expressions of the neolithic age on the continent. Exactly how these great stones were transported across many miles and raised in place remains something of a mystery, but the effort itself was perhaps an act of ritual dedication by the community, and a way to periodically renew bonds between tribes.

Spoiler Alicorn tribe - Thomas.berubeg :


LP: 1
AP: 5/7 (adequate food =, maintenance -)
Military: 1 hero warrior (hardened ivory spears, hide armour)
Faith level: 2+ (Alicorn mysticism)
Government level: 1+ (tribal confederacy)
Unity: high


Spoiler Deqline Culture - Terrance :


LP: 1
AP: 4/5 (adequate food =, trade +, maintenance -)
Treasure: 1
Military: 1 warrior (war bow, lamellar wood and hide armour)
Faith level: 1+ (Deqlides Mysticism)
Government level: 2+ (tribal confederacy)
Unity: high


The Islanders

The western islanders had a complex relationship with the mainlanders, alternating between trading and raiding. Evidence points to a cultural shift among the Kedukaln, with a centralised religious-matriarchal power structure asserting itself, with the backing of a loyal elite of ship-borne warriors. There are signs of periodic unrest, with some older sites being abandoned and new sites being built around fortified stone tower-houses. Waves of exiles also fled from the main island - some going to the mainland as settlers, mercenaries or traders. It’s clear that a particularly large number of Keduklan ventured north into the former Yorndyr homeland, steadily overwhelming the remaining natives there and forming a new hybrid culture on the peninsula. Though Alicorn raids remained a threat, the settlers effectively brought the peninsula into the cultural sphere of the islanders.

The islanders now had greater access to tin deposits in the old Yondyr, and it seems that native bronze working appeared not long after these events. Though having a relatively small output compared to the east, bronze items from the islands would be highly sought after by those on the west of the continent who had little or no access to eastern trade.

Towards the end of this era, there is a notable language shift among the islanders and their cousins on the former Yondyr peninsular. The K’d Kaln remained the most powerful, and were also periodically occupying hunting grounds on the remote island to the north-west. The K’d Karu are known to have ventured far to the south, trading a small amount of bronze with the Olteq in exchange for exotic luxuries, perhaps including hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Spoiler K’d Kaln culture - Angst :


LP: 1
AP: 6/6 (adequate food =, trade +, tribute received +, unrest -, maintenance -)
Treasure: 2
Military: 1 Warrior (bronze axe and shield)
Navy: assorted basic sail boats
Faith level: 2+ (Tomag mythology)
Government level: 2+ (theocratic matriarchy)
Unity: moderate


Spoiler K’d Karu - NPC :

Influenced by: K’d Kaln - Angst, Olteq - Aiken_Drumn

A minor culture and old splinter of what is now the K’d Karu, gaining in importance. They are gradually sailing further from their islands and are now trading with the Olteq, far to the south.

Limited access to bronze.


Spoiler K’d Oryn - NPC :

Influenced by: K’d Kaln - Angst.

A minor culture, but one with rapidly growing importance. Mixed Yorndyr-Islander heritage, making them relatives of both the Syresh (east) and Ondir (south) found elsewhere in the world.

They have silver and tin mines - a vital asset - and are able to trade with their islander kin for smelted bronze tools and ingots. Limited local bronze-working, but copper has to be imported from the islands.


!Notes!

Well, sincere apologies for the hiatus, and for any mixed messages from me over the weeks. To be honest, I’ve been hit hard by all the things that killed off projects for me in previous years. It’s been a tricky few months. But I really didn’t want to let this one die! I hope to get at least some of the original players to continue this.

The stats have been streamlined, your available AP count is no longer a hard sum of +’s and -’s, it has become more hand-wavey, but you’ll at least have an indication of major problems or bonuses.

With the amount of time that’s passed, I may have forgotten some things from player orders or gone off on my own tangent a bit. If anyone’s got any particular grievances, please do let me know. I’m not too keen to backtrack, but there could be some karmic balancing in future.

Apologies to @Terrance888 in particular for being hit with bad luck this turn and losing half your stuff :/ But I do want to point out the Deqline now have a big influence in the Akoltec culture due to refugees settling there.

:salute:
 

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Temporary orders (to be expanded upon)

The Era following Poloxannalder's demise is perhaps best described as one of consolidation. Most of the Oxlens efforts were diplomatic in this era, centered around trying to re-merge Oxlen and Pol-Eshai into a single nation. Though it quickly became apparent that this was unlikely to happen anytime soon, at least without drastic action by one of the two. Still, the efforts continued and eventually shifted into an effort to share developments and cultures, while expanding to include Ochlen, Elqua and Dhulen where they found a bit more success.
Spoiler AP 1-2 :

Strengthen cultural influence upon Pol-Eshai, Dhulen, Ochlen, Elqual), and if possible, try to push for merger's with them. Exchange cultural ideas, and possibly some developments. I expect that the exchange will be going both ways, so I would not be surprised if the result also results in them gaining influence upon them if it is possible for NPC's to do so



There was also a concentrated effort to expand the mines withing Oxlen borders, given how central Bronze and other metals were becoming to the Oxlen, both to trade and for their own use.
Spoiler AP 3 :

Dig a hole around the shiny rocks
Better described as building a larger mine/quarry upon the shiny rock deposit.


But perhaps the most notable effect of this consolidation was the Oxlens attention to the sea.
Perhaps driven by tales of craft propelled by cloth from the far west, they began to experiment and try to replicate the effort, noticing how large pieces of cloth could catch the wind. Trying various shaped and methods to anchor the cloth to their vessels.
Spoiler AP 4 :

Develop sails

And they worked at some level, allowing them to propel their boats and ships across the ocean faster and with less effort. This was perhaps responsible for the increased trade along the eastern shores by the Oxlen in this era. Seeking a better way to reach the Axti, as opposed to trekking through the dangerous jungle. there were even rumors of Oxlen vessles visiting other groups beyond them and tradeign for exotic bird-mounts of great speed.
Spoiler AP 5 :

start trading up and down the coast


Soon, Merchants were requesting that the shipbuilders build them even larger ships, to let them carry larger amounts of goods up and down the coast. while unwieldly and hard to propel before the devlopment of sails, with them they were quite usuabe. they even proved to be a fair bit more stable in the deeper waters, less prone to being knocked over by waves.
soon it was not just the merchants, but also the firshermen pressing for the larger ships, letting them stay out to sea longer and bring back larger amounts of fish each trip.
Spoiler AP 6 :

5 Develop Larger ships


This eventually lead to ships leaving on longer and longer journeys. Some venturing off simply to explore. Rumors of further lands to the east, likely due to the Dhulen's settling of the eastern island, arose and some brave fools set off to sail further and further from the shore. Just to see what was there. To claim the glory of finding something new. Many failed to return home, but others brought tales of strange beasts larger than any ship sailed, of sections of seas that glowed at night, and other strange events.
Spoiler AP 7 :

6 Efforts to explore the coasts and possibly some of the sea to the west

Of course, none of the this exploration efforts without those who had started to devote themselves to studying the stars, led by the Great Astrologian Halshanhur. While his early life is unknown and unrecorded, he was first recorded in his early thirties presenting a "map of the stars" to the current Pol-ox of the Oxlen. A series of hardened clay tablets recording the positions of stars in the sky, some being duplicates that had lines added to connect to constellations. While only a few of the tablets survive intact to the modern day, those that do seem to be quite accurate.
Past this first historical mention, he went on to make several written works on the nature of the stars. His most well known works include "The Astrologinica" A work detailing how to read the stars, so one may predict the future, or divine the fate of a just born child, by reading the positions of the wandering stars in the sky. "The Sailors Aid" a short work on how to determine one's location by examining the sky at night. While not the most accurate, it was usually enough to get a basic grasp on one's location compared to other known locations, which was quite the boon to any sailor that lost sight of land. "Stormancy" Not actually a separate written work, as it is present in the Astrologinca as in its entirety, it is quite a bit more well known with hundreds of copies have being found in archeological digs over the ages. Detailing the patterns and signs of weather in the Oxlen region, one could use it to make a reasonable guess as to what the weather would be on the following day.

Spoiler LP :
A Great Astrologian is born, Halshanhur. Entranced by the study of the skies from an early age, he proceeded to map most of the skies by the time he was twenty and went on to promote it as a notable profession by the time he was forty. Pioneered how to roughly navigate by the stars, and how the sky subtly changed over time and distance one traveled across the world. How to read the position of the stars when a child was born, and predict what their strengths might be. What days might be best to start certain efforts, like setting out on a voyage, or to go see a healer based on the positions of the stars. The patterns in the weather and the signs about how it was about to change, predicting great storms days in advance. While he would eventually be overwhelmed by other practitioners practices by the time of his death, all acknowledged that he was the first True Astrologian.
Begin to study the stars, and this position.
A great Astronomer is born that starts and leads these efforts. Efforts to divine the future from the positions of the stars and stellar bodies. Efforts to predict the weather. Possibly learn how to crudely navigate by the easily visible stars, allowing ships short jaunts away from the shores.


Spoiler Notes :

Moderate Trasuqe influence - Kyzarc

A primarily settled, agricultural people at the cutting edge of the bronze age.

LP: 1
AP: 7/13 (adequate food =, trade +, culture +, corruption -, maintenance --)
Treasure: 2
Military: 1 buffalo-chariot warrior (studded leather shield and helmet, bronze spear and axe)
Navy: assorted basic boats
Faith level: 1+ (adopted Sushunsil Fetishist beliefs)
Government level: 2+ (warrior monarchy)
Unity: high
 
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Trasque Turn 7
The Skypeople of Trasque act with confidence (7+3 treasure)

Action 1: the ancient Trakkan tradition of Esans awarding great hunters with fine weapons and jewelry continues on even as hunting for beasts falls by the wayside in favor of raiding foreign lands. This increasingly takes the form of ornately forged pieces of bronze armor, with the plumed helms of warband leaders instantly recognizable and repairs usually empahsizing the location of cracks and dents rather than remove them entirely to show their bearer's valor in battle (finish armoring my soldiers)

Action 3+4+5: Trakkan goatherds have long bred their goats for more readily workable wool and more meat. Their animal husbandry begins to escalate as they sprawl out from the high valleys into the low country to the west, with more abundant grazing grounds making ever larger goats more viable. The largest of these breeds, the Tithque (lit. Tallest Goat), is said to be able to carry a short man (which is most Trakkan men) upon its back for several hours. The specialization of goat breeds is mostly done between clans, with individual clans having herds of a single breed which they will occasionally introduce outside goats into.

Action 6+7+1 Treasure: Roque grows and expands, with leadership of the city (initially at least) regularly changing hands between the Esans of the prominent clans. As it grows outwards the cave network it was originally built around is largely turned from practical uses to hosting shrines to dozens of spirits. These tunnels are lit entirely by the single candles placed before each shrine and many visitors claim to have visions or hear messages from the gods as they breath the incense in the narrow, poorly ventilated tunnels hundreds of feet underground. The keepers of these shrines begin taking the first steps to forming their own caste within Trakkan society, holding the sacred mysteries to themselves.

Soldier 1+2: Trakkan warriors primarily venture into Apol Tar lands, seeking treasure and glory to bring back home. If resistance proves too stiff they're deflect eastwards towards the Pol-Eshai and, eventually, the Oxlen.

Leadership: The exchange of goats between clans becomes an important gesture of peace and friendship, but this also leads to goat-raids between clans that sometimes turn violent. The exchange of young people between clans, long an informal affair handled on the personal level with few overtly religious connotations, starts to become a more and more formalized with the trappings of ceremony attached known as a Tithencern (lit. Rooting of the Goat). The increasing expanse of lands held by the Trakkan tribes and the increasing formalization of relations between tribes, including the introduction of fratricidal conflict, leads to several generations of Quesans across multiple tribes to try and work out the direction that the Trasque will take. The further the tribes extend their reach the more the tribes of the interior feel pressured, with no room for their own expansion other than through their brethren and with no outlet for their more aggressive members beyond one another. After a particularly brutal decade of internecine conflict between the interior tribes of the highlands and exterior tribes lower down, the Quesans of the more prominent tribes attempt to organize a tradition of young men venturing forth to the outlying tribes to join their raiding parties against the strange southerners with their foreign tongues.
 
Alicorn -

1LP - Constant contact with outsider groups has begun to force open Alicorn society to outsiders. Trade and communication has taught us that there are benefits to interactions with outsiders - especially what they have and what they'll give us for the things we have in abundance. And what we have in abundance, namely, is food and drink. This LP will serve to open our society to outsiders and trade

2 AP - Future archaeologists come to recognize this period as the Ceramics period, as sites from this period demonstrate an explosion of fired pottery, many of it finely worked, painted, and sculpted. While the impetus for this development was no doubt the increase in trade with neighboring societies, the amount of aesthetic refinement indicates that there was some prestige in owning fine pottery.

2 AP - The Agriculture of the Alicorn continues to be refined, with an ever greater variety of Fruit Trees, grains, and vegetables expanding - which results in a clearing of the forests, and oversight by hill forts. Notable in this period in the southern regions is the importation of grape varietals from their neighbors.

1 AP - In response to raids by neighbors, especially the boat people to the north, concerted alicorn efforts by northern clans, bolstered by southern warriors seeking prestige and reputation, begin to attempt to settle on the islands, establishing traditional hill forts upon the southern shore of the northern islands. (use the Elite Warriors)
 
Update 6
LP: 1
AP: 4/5 (adequate food =, trade +, maintenance -)
Treasure: 1
Military: 1 warrior (war bow, lamellar wood and hide armour)
Faith level: 1+ (Deqlides Mysticism)
Government level: 2+ (tribal confederacy)
Unity: high


Quello Confederacy (Deqline Culture after Relocation)
Terrance888

Summary - The Quello Confederacy is perched upon the hilltops, their greatest resources no longer their land but their skill and craftsmanship. And so, they have determined to leverage this to their utmost ability, seeking to establish trade with distant lands. The confederacy is named after the Quellon, the growing class of record keeper/merchants who helped gather the the hillforts not for great hunts or war, but for great caravans.

Leadership - The Quellon Caravans

The great Hillforts are mostly self sufficient, but their internal trade and spiritual needs of the Deqlides Mystic helped preserve their unity. As the Quellon grew more influential, they began promoting the idea of initiating trade - great caravans of people and resources setting out to distant lands laden with goods, and well defended. These caravans would set out regularly, with those remaining guarding their homes while those setting out sought great treasures amongst neighboring cultures.

I can see these taking two main forms. Either dog-travois, or perhaps during the winter with dog sleds. Depending on the direction of the Eastern route, it could also take the form of river rafts.

The Leadership is spent for organizing the collective effort, negotiations with neighbors, and defense of the homeland during caravans.

http://www.native-languages.org/travois.htm
https://intrans.iastate.edu/news/dog-sledding-transportation-meets-legacy/

Action 1 - The Southern Route - Hail to K’d Karu and Olteq!

Some may consider the southern route redundant. Those do not understand the uncertainty of greeting ships. No, better to head to a place of your choosing, trading and establishing promissory stones for future exchanges. The relationship between Toltec and Deqline was one of superiority and fear. No longer. The relationship between the Olteq and Quellos and K’d Karu will be established as that of partners, exchanging bronze and gold and medicines and wine.

This trade route passes by some flat coastland, and therefore may require use of Treasure or Action 2 to help maintain peace.

Action 2 - The Eastern Route - Hail to Ondir and Akoltec!

This trade route passes along the river heading to the east (Perhaps, the Deqline River as a memoir of it’s old purpose as a border?) until it reaches to the sea. There, they will establish a great festival to greet their brethren amongst the Akoltec, trading the bounty of the east with the craftsmanship of the west. If the Ondir are hostile, perhaps a trading fort makes itself necessary, but it’s much more appealing to bring them into the trade network, and to bring home a bounty of dried meat and leathers.

Note - The Northern Trade? Alicorn trading and Wine Diplomacy

The Alicorn seeks to trade instead of to raid. While the Quellon are not interested in traversing the difficult terrain of the Hillfort Zones with great caravans, small scale trade continues, notably with the exchange of wine for ceramics. Ceramics are much more efficient than leather for brewing and storing wine.

Note - The “Western” Trade? Raiding and Wariness

While the sea peoples find meaning in their dynamic nature, the Quellon are less amused. If they wish to trade, they better march to the nearest hillfort weapons stowed and arms burdened with gifts and good will. With the regular departure of great Caravans, the Quello Confederacy cannot afford to play.

Treasure - Spend to boost a trade route/improve relations, possibly build a port-fort for trade with Akoltec on the Eastern Route

The treasure of the Deqline will be spent to help establish the Quellos. Depending on the development of the two trade routes, it will be spent to encourage cooperation, establish fortifications, or possibly even develop Quellos trading settlements.

Action 3 - Advanced Tools and Craftsmenship

Of course the Craftsmenship of the Quellos continues to advance in leaps and bounds. Bronze is sought after, for making new tools especially those much more effective at working wood and gold. Additionally, there may be a development of crushing various stones to create new pigments and variations of stone tools such as mills (for grain or wine).

Military Action - Caravan Patrol (1 AP?)

The Quellos Military will be mobilized regularly to guard the caravans, but also to repel raiders as well as to mark the borders of the Confederacy. When they march out, the militia is responsible with delaying enemy attack long enough for them to get home and crush the enemy under their hillfort walls. [May need to spend 1 AP due to Hex Distance]

Action 4 - Terrace Farms (If not needed for Caravan Patrol)

Although the Mystics have their hidden valley vineyards, the main populace of the Quellos do not trust in their ability to hold all the land around the hills. Rather, they began to expand the agricultural suitability of the hills, building new walls and terraces, and filling it in with compost and fertile soil.

Note: Land clearing? Construction? Based on context I believe the Quellos are somewhat “overbuilt” in infrastructure, and that any extra food for minor population growth could be gained from trade and tool improvements. However, if the AP isn’t needed for the Caravan Patrol, I think Terrace Farms would be nice



Decorations -
Previous - Fur cloaks and armor, decorated tents
New - Leather cloaks replace fur. Fur hats, especially with a piece of metal embedded. Use of pigment on the face and on clothes, as well as decorating the gates and entranceways. Metal jewlery - especially arm rings - on the wealthy and for the soldiery.

Words -
Uwuca: Wolves
Tila: Grapes/Berries
Tileen: Grape Juice/Grape Bunches
Tilaveen: Grape-Ditch, or specifically a valley with noticeably bountiful harvests
Tilish: Grape-tent, or specifically those constructed by the mystics
Veluros: Deqlides Mystics
Quellon: Recordkeepers and Caravan Masters
Effica: Creation/Crafting, especially of tools or weapons
Berefficeen: Treasure/Crafts meant for trade or exultation
Doellish: “Hillfort Keeper”
Dos: Hill, especially one that is populated
Nish: Hide Tent
Ven: Ditch





Note: Turn 5 Orders

Spoiler Turn 5 Orders :
LP: 1
AP: 6/9 (adequate food =, adequately motivated =, trade +2AP, injured -, disunity -, maintenance -3AP)
Faith level: 1.5 (Deqlides Mysticism)
Government level: 1.75 (tribal council)
Treasure: 1
Unity: 70%

LP - new class of record keepers / trade trackers, using quipu ropes to track different areas and marking down agreements in stone. Their work support development of a merchant class and first Decline urbanization.

AP 1 - wood working tools
AP 2 - fortified wood towns in the north, especially along river and borderland hills.
AP 3 - further domesticate wolf dogs into dogs (for hunting, herding, and war)
AP 4 - trading with Toltecs - try to bring their seeds or animals north
AP 5 - adapting seeds and herds to local conditions (especially planting by the river)
AP 6 - raise new military group for the north - focus being reactive/defensive. Support hunters/Toltec warriors. Equip with armor and bows. Specialize in using war dogs, fire and fortifications.
Diplomacy - continue support Toltec warriors. If they “go rogue” direct them to fight the Alicorns. If they “go home” try to ambush them with our military units and hunters. Maybe at a river crossing.
 
What a brilliant update Dafty, thank you for squeezing it out :D

Is there a deadline for orders? Other than myself, are we missing anyone?
 
Interesting developments guys!!! Sorry for the delay in setting a deadline, I don't know where the time goes to be honest. It's been a fairly busy few weeks.

I'm going to set an orders deadline for 23:59pm UK time this Friday (16th Dec). Update is unlikely to come before Christmas but I'll have a lot of free time after that and the first week of Jan.

Missing orders from LordArgon (Axti), JAM (Ophuah Eh), Angst (K'd Kaln) and yourself @Aiken_Drumn. I'm not sure if LordArgon and JAM are around these days but I'll give them a ping.

:salute:
 
@Angst @J.A.M. and @LordArgon will love to know this updated I am sure. I will get orders to you as soon as I can. IRL is really really screwed, but ill do my best, but likely 20th.
 
Pauh Eh (Feathered Guides) Turn 6

Birds come in many shapes and sizes. There are small ones that guide us to honey, and ones as large as us that can run fast as the wind. There are larger ones too: the huge guide eaters tall as a hut and the massive spirit guardians that quake the trees as they run. This is the tale we have always told our children, and our children their children. We used to call ourselves Ohpauh, unfeathered, but with the greater adoption of piercing ourselves with feathers we take the mantle of Pauh. Still we are guides, our divine duty and purpose to promote and spread divinity throughout the world. We used to change

Action 1+2: Glut ourselves on the flesh of the non-bird, drive them from our land, let the bones of the Kangaroos and Hippos and Crocodiles be the only remnant of their existence.
Killed hippos and crocs, geese arrived. Coincidence? I think not!

Action 3:
Standardize our language with meetings of the Ogres along crossroads of our land.
Our Spear-Pikes and rudimentary medicine must be preserved and easily understandable if we are to have any hope of building off a foundation of knowledge.

Action 4:
Study the areas and ways in which our continent spanning paths fall apart and deteriorate.
Using our language we can record our epiphanies for distant settlements and future generations.

Action 5: Use the recorded knowledge of points of failure in paths to reinforce them for present and future use.
The eradication and processing of non-birds does provide food, but only through these paths are we able to spread such a bounty to all and fend of starvation.

Leadership 1: Rearrange our worship practices around the most pugnacious of the divine, the goose.
Yes, the Spirit Guardians still are the most direct connection we have to the divine, extremely proactive psychopomps that they are, but none embody the concept of immortality and transcendence as the goose. Spirit Guardians can topple trees and tear apart our fortifications with ease, but still they can be driven back. They know of their own divine purpose and do all they can to fulfill it. The geese, however, are utterly unfettered by any concept to self preservation in service to a larger duty. Acting at all times with the same suicidal aggression that cornered parents have, they are more daring even than the Spirit Guardians, more ferocious than the largest pack of Guide Eaters. If we are to enjoy our time on this world, live not solely for the betterment of the divine, we are better served worshiping these waterfowl.

Note: A common trend/meme on some Dominions5 discord servers is to "booli", a verb originating from a user named Loggy (who has a goose as pfp) posting images of geese to hurry people to do their turns and/or remind them that the turn rolled in a generally inoffensive and humorous manner. Has since spread from Reddit Dominions to a few other places. The point of this note is that I have a lot of geese images saved on my computer, and I will be posting them fervently from now on.
Note 2: Vocal appreciation of the art: trying my hand at a Warhammer Rhinox and looking at the Mammoth and Rhino on the map enlightened me to the strategy of doubling up the pixels vertically for texturing longer fur!
 
Akoltec

LP: 1

To trade is to worship. Our grand marble temple is a location all traders must visit once in their lives and pay tribute

AP: 7/10 (adequate food =, trade +, corruption -, maintenance -)
1. Send a trade delegation to Marad Zeih. We wish to establish a trading enclave on their island and start to push our influence there.
2. Up River to Apol Tar. We wish to provide tribute, to establish a trade post on the river bank opposite their city.
3. Up River to Alicorn, establish a trade post outside their fortified towns.
4. Ceremonial Guards. All this trade, marble, gold and wonder needs some protection! Only the best of the best need apply.
5. Warships. With trade flowing, it must be protected, and the traders know who protects it.
6. More Warships! This is expected to be a hurcleanian task, so an extra point is spent.
7. Harbour. All these ships need safe harbour.
 
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